Towel-holder.



'No. 6.59,l64. Patented- Oct. 2 I900.

B. H. BURN.

TOWEL HOLDER.

(Application filed Mar. 26, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrce.

ROBERT H. BORN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TOWEL-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,164, dated October2, 1900. Application filed March 26, 1900. Serial No. 10,212. (Nomodel.)

To rrZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT H. BORN, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Towel-Holders,of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of acounter or bar, showing myimproved towel-holder in position thereon.Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of my improved towel-holder. Fig.Sis a front elevational view of the holder. Fig. e is a frontelevational view of the upper end of a modified form of the holder. Fig.5 is a vertical sectional view through the upper end of said modifiedform of holder.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in towel-holdersdesigned especially for use in connection with counters over whichlunches orliquid refreshments are served, the object being to constructa device of the character described in such a manner as to have thetowel always in readiness for use and when used withdrawn from a casingor housing, means being provided therein for retracting the towel, so asto keep the same when not in use in a casing or housing for the purposeof cleanliness.

With this object in view the invention consists in the construction,arrangement, and combination of the several parts, all as willhereinafter be described and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A indicates a counter or fixture to which my improvedtowel-holder B is secured by suitable screws. This towelholder consistsof a hollow tube 0, provided with securing lugs or ears 0 for attachingsaid tube to a suitable support, the upper end of said tube beingpreferably bent at right angles and formed with a bell-mouth forwell-understood purposes.

D indicates a plug or cap screwed to the lower end of tube 0 and towhich one end of a spring E is connected. The upper end of this spring Eis attached to a cross-barF, operating vertically indiametrically-opposite slots 0.

G indicates a clasp secured to this crossbar and in which the towel H issecured.

In operation when the parts are assembled and it is desired to introducea towel the cross-bar F is grasped and the clasp G elevated, so that itwill partially project through the bell-mouth of the tube. The towel isthen introduced and the clasp closed, after which the cross-bar isreleased, and the energy in the spring draws the towel into the tube, asshown in Fig. 2. The parts are so adjusted that a portion of the towelis left projecting from the bell-mouth of the tube,- whereby the persondesiring to use the towel may grasp the same and withdraw it from itstube, and when the towel is released the spring acts to retract thetowel to the position shown.

In Figs. 4 and 5 I have shown a cable I; at- .tached to the upper end ofspring E, to the other end of which cable is secured the clasp G. Anotch c is cut in the bell-mouth of the tube, so that in changing towelsthe clasp can be held in its outward position by being introduced intosaid notch, as shown in Fig. 5. When a clean towel has been clamped inplace, the clasp G is drawn from its notch and released, the springdrawing the clasp and its attached towel into the tube.

I am aware that minor changes in the construction, arrangement, andcombination of the several parts of my device can be made andsubstituted for those herein shown and described Without in the leastdeparting from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In a towel-holder, the combination with a tube formed with abell-mouth opening at an angle to the axis of said tube, of a cap orplug arranged in one end of said tube, a coiled spring arranged in saidtube and having one of its ends secured to said cap or plug, and a claspsecured to said coiled spring, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. In a towel-holder, the combination with a tube formed with abell-mouth arranged at an angle to the axis of said tube, of securinglugs or cars arranged on said tube, a spring arranged in and secured tosaid tube, and a clasp carried by said spring, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination Witha tubeOprovided for drawing said clasp into thetube; sub- [0 with a slot, of a spring arranged in said tube, stantiallyas described. a rod to which the upper end of said spring In testimonywhereof I hereunto affix my is connected, said rod projecting throughsaid signature, in the presence of two Witnesses, slot in the tube, anda clasp secured on said this 24th day of March, 1900.

rod; substantially as described. ROBERT H. BORN.

4. The combination with a tube provided Witnesses: with a notch in itsupper end, of a clasp which WM. H. SCOTT,

is designed to fit in said notch, and a spring F. R. CORNWALL.

